Wrangell Mountains, Alaska 



399 



side of the range were delineated in de- 

 tail and with fidelity. 



In 1902 the same workers continued 

 their surveys, Mr Gerdine along the 

 western flanks of the mountains and Mr 

 Witherspoon along the northern, so that 

 we at last have topographic data of a 

 definite nature for nearly all of the 

 group. The area which is not as yet 

 accurately mapped extends east from 

 the head of Nabesna glacier to the head 

 of White River, and includes the glacial 

 drainage of the upper Chisana. Over 

 the remaining portion of the group we 

 have topographic sheets on the scale of 

 4 miles to the inch, drawn with a con- 

 tour interval of 200 feet. These give 

 sufficiently complete data for an accurate 

 definition of the geographic relations of 

 the mountain mass. 



In carrying on this work the survey- 

 ors travel from place to place by pack 

 train, occupying, successively, high 

 points, which are located by intersection 

 on other previously determined posi- 

 tions. From these points — ' ' stations, ' ' 

 as they are called — the positions of all 

 prominent features in sight — peaks, 

 streams, lakes, and glaciers — are fixed 

 by horizontal angles, and elevations are 

 determined by vertical ■ angles. With 

 these locations and elevations as a foun- 

 dation, the streams are drawn and the 

 outlines and slopes of the mountains 

 shown by contours, each feature being 

 sketched while the map-maker is look- 

 ing at it. The work is precisely similar 

 to that carried on in the rougher parts 

 of the United States, except that the 

 scale is smaller, the spacing of stations 

 is not so carefully done, and less detail 

 is preserved. 



CHARACTER OF THE MOUNTAINS 



The Wrangell group occupies a rudely 

 elliptical area, with the extensive low- 

 lands of the Copper and the Chittyna 

 valleys on the south and west, but con- 

 nected toward the east with the some- 

 what greater heights of the St Elias 



Alps. A well-marked depression on the 

 north, which extends from the upper 

 Copper across the Nabesna and the 

 Chisana to the White, separates them 

 from the neighboring Nutzotin and 

 Mentasta ranges. Measured along the 

 greater diameter of the ellipse from 

 Scolai Pass northwestward to the outer 

 base of Mount Drum, the extent of the 

 group is about 100 miles, while the 

 other diameter at right angles to this 

 is approximately 70 miles in length. 

 Within this area of 5,500 square miles 

 are at least ten snow-clad peaks 12,000 

 feet or more in height. Several of these 

 are unnamed, and two of them, Mounts 

 Sanford and Blackburn, are higher than 

 Mont Blanc or any of the peaks within 

 the borders of the United States. 



A partial list of the principal peaks 

 and their elevations has appeared in an 

 earlier issue of this Magazine, but a 

 fuller list is appended here : 



Mount Sanford 16, 200 



Mount Blackburn 16,140 



Mount Wrangell 14,000 



Mount Regal 13,400 



Mount Zanetti 12,980 



Mount Jarvis 12,300 



Mount Drum 12, coo 



Capital Mountain 9,697 



Mount Gordon 9, 100 



Snider Peak 8,345 



In addition to these summits, to which 

 names have been applied, there are two 

 or three unnamed points on the ridge 

 between Wrangell and Blackburn which 

 are 10,000 feet or more in height, while 

 between Blackburn and Regal one peak 

 is 13,400, another 12,925, and a third 

 12,185 f ee t high. 



These latter are merely the culminat- 

 ing points of a lofty ridge, and lack the 

 dignity and impressiveness of the iso- 

 lated summits, Sanford, Blackburn, 

 Wrangell, and Drum, which are by far 

 the most conspicuous mountains in the 

 group. The fact that great height is 

 not essential to grandeur is well illus- 

 trated by Mount Drum, which is sur- 



